Thursday, October 11, 2012

Review: Seven Psychopaths

Anticipation can be a seriously fickle mistress. Nowhere
is this principle more apparent than when it comes to the follow up to a
successful creative venture, whether it be a film, an album, or anything else. If
you see and come to love a movie made by a previously unknown director, you
almost immediately start looking forward to his/her next project. You build up
a level of anticipation for said upcoming project and as such, it becomes
tougher and tougher for the follow-up film (or album or what have you) to
measure up to the first one. It’s quite unfair, really. Such is the case with Seven Psychopaths, a perfectly decent
dark comedy that disappoints based less on its own merits (or lack thereof) and
more on the merits of its predecessor, In
Bruges.

Marty (Colin Farrell) has been having trouble focusing. A
struggling writer with a substantial alcohol problem, Marty is trying to come
up with the characters and plot for his aptly titled screenplay, Seven Psychopaths, but failing to find
the right inspiration. Sensing his friend’s troubles, Billy (Sam Rockwell)
attempts to help Marty by providing some curiously detailed, psychotic stories
and introducing him to his dog kidnapping partner, Hans (Christopher Walken).
But when Billy snatches the wrong dog, one belonging to an emotionally
disturbed crime lord named Charlie (Woody Harrelson), the trio has to evade a
group of gangsters, culminating in a final showdown right out of the movies…or
so Billy would have it.

The words one would use to describe Seven Psychopaths would be these: “Solid”, “Decent enough”, “Mildly
satisfactory”, “Not bad”, or maybe even, “Pretty good.” And there’s nothing
wrong with that. The concept is fun and entertaining. There’s a distinct Woody
Allen feeling about this film mixed with Get
Shorty sensibilities and that suits the self-aware undertones well. In this
analogy, Farrell plays the role of Woody Allen in the form of writer/director
Martin McDonagh and he does so well. I’ve always liked Farrell even when his
movies were painful and I’ve enjoyed his recent resurgence. He’s a talented guy
who, I think, just needs to have talent around him (on screen and off) in order
to be great. Rockwell also has some very strong moments, though they are at
times tempered by the feeling that he’s not doing anything new (though perhaps
that’s an unfair criticism). Both of them are outshined, though, by Harrelson
who brings hilarity to a role that badly needs it and Walken who, I think we
can all agree, is always a genuine treat to watch in action. It’s been a long
time since I’ve seen Walken in a new movie and as such, Seven Psychopaths reminded me of what great presence the man has.
The seriously dark nature of the film, too, suits the cast and allows them all
to show off their skills.

The problem with Seven
Psychopaths is two-fold. One, the narrative struggles to stay on target and
build momentum. The first 20 minutes move along fast and the pace, combined
with the introduction of some hilarious characters, makes it a thoroughly
enjoyable beginning and the final 20 minutes wrap things up nicely. But in the
middle portion, Seven Psychopaths
takes some strange turns and slows to the point of bogging down at times. It’s
a stop-and-go approach that left me somewhat frustrated. Two, Seven Psychopaths just isn’t up to par
with In Bruges. I readily admit that
this is an unfair criticism but I think it’s one that a large number of viewers
will have in mind. In Bruges is a
triumph, a modern classic in the dark comedy universe, and seeing as how it is
the only other McDonagh film I have to go off of and the similarities in tone
between it and Seven Psychopaths, it
is difficult to refrain from comparing them. I anticipated something great and
while the concept is great and at least one scene is magnificent, the end
product is only alright.

1 comment:

Nice review Brian! I haven't seen this one nor In Bruges but I might give the latter a shot. I think the excessive violence worries me a bit but I do like Farrell and Brendan Gleeson who've been praised in nearly everything I've read so far on that film.